Venue Detail
Houston Dynamo
Revenues From Sports Venues Pro Facilities Report
January, 2010
Houston Dynamo
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1415 Louisiana Suite 3400 Houston, TX 77002 Phone: 713-276-7500 Fax: 713-276-7580 URL: www.houstondynamo.com Owner: Anschutz Entertainment Group League: Major League Soccer Western Conference
Venue
Robertson Stadium, 3100 Cullen Blvd, Houston, TX 77004 Owner: University of Houston Managed by: SMG Facility Management Built: 1940 Capacity: 33,000 Concessionaire: Savor
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $300 to $720 2007 average attendance: 16,137 2008 average attendance: 17,752 2009 average attendance: 17,624
Luxury Suites
Quantity: 26 Term: 3 to 3 years Price: $15,000 to $15,000 Seats: 16 to 16 Includes: Tickets.
Club seats
Quantity: 2,900 Price: $1,250 to $1,500
The former San Jose Earthquakes played the 2006 season in Houston as the Dynamo. The team's home Venue will be the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium, but league officials have said the long-term goal is to build a new soccer-specific stadium for the franchise.
Minor site work began on land proposed as the new home of the Dynamo, but no solid agreement is in place between the city and the team for the venue. Both sides say they are hopeful talks can conclude soon.
The Dynamo want to build the roughly $85 million, 22,000-seat stadium that would include 34 luxury suites, 86 concession point-of-sales, a 3,000 square-foot club level and a party deck on the southeast corner.
Plans also call for at least one canopy (west stands) and a stage (permanent or removable) on the south end. The field would be 13 feet below street level. The first seating level would be set on concrete, with aluminum for the upper level.
Dynamo ownership is willing to incur 75 percent (approximately $60 million) of the stadium cost, with the rest of the financing coming from the TIRZ ($20 million total) as well as federal tax credits and incentives.
A weak economy made it difficult for the Dynamo to secure financing, but it has yielded favorable conditions for building a stadium and keeping it on budget. Prices of commodities have gone down, and the construction industry is hungry for work.
The city and team ownership have concurred the parties are close on most points. Getting the county on board might take longer.
Texas Southern University has expressed interest in investing in the project in exchange for the rights to use of the facility for its football team.
The city invested $15.5 million and swapped a parcel of land to secure the six-block tract of land near the corner of Texas and Dowling streets that would house the stadium.
At the University, the school will collect a percentage of the revenues from concessions, parking and other sources, including non-soccer-related events sponsored by the team. The Dynamo will fund a new field and other stadium improvements. (Facilities, Financial, Professional Sports, Venue)